Shoebox scheme - The Rotary Club of Reading

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Shoebox scheme

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The Rotary Shoebox Scheme is alive and well and even in the current difficult circumstances 4000 Shoebox gifts were sent to Romania by truck.
 
 
 
Dear Reading Rotarians,                                                         Rotary Shoebox Scheme -  Help please
 
Newer members should be interested to know that our Club has supported this project several times over the years but it has fallen by the wayside recently partly because of difficulties in getting the boxes back to the Shoebox charity.  The boxes are a little larger than normal shoeboxes and there is a choice of suitable contents for filling depending on age of recipient. We have close to 40 members and we aim for 50 boxes with most members filling one box and some maybe two or. We have over 100 boxes in stock.
 
The charity's website is very informative  see..   https://www.rotaryshoebox.org   The list of suggested contents is copied at the end of this article.  
 
Rotarian Colin Ince of the St Helens Club who is a Trustee of Rotary Shoebox Scheme has been very helpful and this direct contact will be of great value in making a Reading contribution happen.  They have a Covid 19 protocol which is not onerous for us and Colin has also said they have abandoned asking for a £2 coin to be attached to the box.
 
This is now part of the Youth Services Team's work and realise that not meeting physically makes getting the boxes to members and then collecting them whilst complying with their quarantine guidelines is a challenge to us all. More of that and the logistics if we get enough promises to make it work.
 

NEXT STEP
Let's see if the Club can donate 50 boxes to this important charity.
 
PS. If you and your family have nothing suitable in house it's amazing what you can buy in the household goods line in a Pound shop or games and clothing in your local charity shop.
 
 
Suggested items to fill your Shoebox
 
Toys ~ For Boys & Girls
 
Cars, trucks, etc, balls, complete jigsaws, action figures, colouring books, pens, crayons, Lego blocks, yo-yo, bubble blowers, wooden and plastic toys, building blocks, pencil case, pencil sharpener, dominoes, play-doh / plasticine & cutters, fluffy toys, dolls, stickers, writing pads, skipping rope, scarf, mittens / gloves, hat, harmonica, games, cards…
 
Teenagers ~ For young people up to 18 years age
 
Sportswear, scarf, gloves, socks, hat, football memorabilia, writing materials, games, playing cards, tennis ball, tooth brush & paste, roll-on deodorants, comb, mirror, costume jewellery, make-up, hair brush, toiletries, school stationery, clothing repair kits, sketch pad, coloured pens / pencils…
 
Household Goods ~ For older folk & families
 
Scarves, gloves, hats, wrapped soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, disposable razors, shampoo, soap flakes, pan scourers, antiseptic cream, bandages, face or body creams, cosmetics, pens, writing pad & envelopes, T lights, candles, sewing kit, scissors…
 
Baby ~ Age up to 12 months
 
This is given to new mothers and can include baby wipes, baby shampoo, baby oil, talc powder, bonnet, bootees and mitts, baby grow, baby blanket, small soft toy or plastic  rattle…
What NOT to include in boxesFood, sweets, chocolate & drinks, battery operated toys, conflict related items, matches, inflammable liquids, inflammable aerosols (e.g.: deodorants & hair spray), seeds or any other living material, automatic washing machine powders
For safety – Please securely sellotape tops of liquid containers.
Protect anything sharp and do not put anything sharp into the Toys box.

The type of contents are indicated on the box top. In the case of toys & teenagers, additional information as to the suitability for boy or girl, along with age group is also indicated. A card with the sender’s name and a photograph is also a nice thing to include.
Above all, the contents should be of good quality, remembering that the recipient will be opening the box in eager anticipation, and especially with the toys for the children, quite possibly the first real gifts they have received for a very long time.
 
 
 
                     
 
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